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Hey Jeremy,

I voted No way, that's my baby!!!

The reason being, as a self conversion builder it really is a labour of love (and blood, sweat and tears lol).. I wouldn't like to rent it out and get it back trashed (now I'm not saying that it would come back like that every time, but if it came back wrecked then I would be absolutely devasted!). So for me it's not worth the risk.

You might have checked this out if you've been looking but maybe it could be a option?

http://sportsmobile.com/sportsmobile-rental


Good Luck
RQ

Hi there,

I was looking into the seatbelt issue as well, to get round it we are keeping two seats that have seatbelts incorporated, but I guess that won't work in your case as it's already fitted out.

Also incase you weren't aware side lap belts won't pass muster. It has to be 3 point forward or rear facing seats to comply with the law. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436202/carriage-of-passengers-in-campervans.pdf

Are you based in the UK... Anywhere near London? You could try contacting these seatbelt specialists, they have a mobile fitting service.

http://seatbeltservice.co.uk/

Hope that helps!

RQ

Your van is looking good Elijah. Any more progress?

There are some great ideas here I'm going to incorporate.. The shower curtain hoop idea is getting nabbed as is the solar power battery recharger!!

Power supply is something I still need to consider in more detail, was thinking of having two leisure batteries.. but I guess I'd better figure out everything that needs power 1st!!

RQ

Hiya and welcome 

Great job.. nice to see what you have acheived so far.

It seems like we are on a parallel journey in converting a van for family use. It's nice to see that you think along the same lines as us when it comes to reusing and repurposing things to save costs and reduce waste, as well as showing kids today that nothing has to be expensive so long as your basic needs are taken care of!!

RQ

Thanks for the welcome Dan

Yeah we found the leak and Cora's now watertight! It's also comforting to know that any issues that weren't visually apparent, have now been taken care of. It was a right royal pain to do, but it'll be worth it in the long run!!

We were only transporting my SIL and her 2 kids to the festival haha.. they had their own tent to stay in. 
However.. we did all have to sleep in the van for one night in Inverness, a tight squeeze and definitely a one time deal in the current configuration!!

We are now aiming to transport 5 people, and hopefully sleep 4/5 if the need arises (child's bed in the front cab, almost king size bed behind cab, and a drop down pulley system single pipe berth over that) the toilet and kitchen would then be at the rear of the van.

The majority of the time it'll just be the 3 of us heading off, so trying to make it a 4/5 berth is probably overkill but I'd like the option there anyway (if I can suss out a way to make it all fit)!

Just though I'd start off by making a wee introduction.. RebelQueen here (aka RQ or Jeanne in everyday life lol) from Aberdeen 

About 18 months ago we bought a 2003 T350 MH LWB minibus with super low miles, one weekend on a whim... (errr alcohol may have been involved) after talking about converting a van into a camper so we could start taking off for wee family road trips.

My husband Steve and I proceeded to strip right back to the metal core of the van... hence why she's now called Cora. So glad that we did as we discovered that water had been getting in and the floor at the back was rotten.

We insulated the floor and panels and got the van in a very basic layout, put back in the 1st row of minibus seats at the front. Behind the seats we placed a kitchen unit cobbled together from our dismantled old wardrobe plus we had space to store a luggable loo. At the back a dinnette/double bed and tinted the windows with privacy film which we completed just in time to transport 3 adult and 3 kids to the Belladrum Festival in August last year.

I'm so glad that we haven't forked out any cash for the layout so far, as now we've done a few trips away hubby has now admitted that I was right in saying we needed a toilet onboard  So there's still a long way to go and lots more to do.

But for now it's back to the drawing board to figure out how to re-jig the layout.

Looking forward to getting any advice, tips and tricks from you guys along the way.